The present invention relates to techniques for controlling access to program assets, such as software programs or modules, which are hosted on a computer system.
Providers of program assets, such as programs or program modules, often use hosting services to deploy the program assets via a website maintained by an external hosting company. Outsourcing the hosting of such program assets enables the asset provider to reduce operating expenses and to benefit from the larger economies of scale. It also enables the program assets to reach a larger market, which is accessible via the external hosting company.
Unfortunately, such third-party hosting often complicates the marketing of the program assets and the operation of the website. For example, it may be difficult for the external hosting company to identify valid customers of the asset providers and to associate the valid customers with program assets that they have paid to access. Consequently, proper operation of the website often requires the external hosting company and the asset providers to share detailed information about customers and associated program assets so that the external hosting company can determine customer authorizations. However, many asset providers consider such information to be very sensitive or secret, and are hence reluctant to provide it. Therefore, the current need to share sensitive information with the external hosting company may make authorizing access to the program assets challenging.